Scott G Trenorden

So today is my last full day in Siem Reap. I am catching a bus to Phnom Penh at 7am tomorrow and then on to Sihanoukville… That’s if I don’t decide to stay in Phnom Penh a night or two to catch up with some people, see the sights etc.

I guess I should make that decision kind of soon.

The last few days have been much of the same (due to my own inclinations) but a lot of fun nonetheless.
Last night I enjoyed an evening out with Mai and JJ - an absolutely lovely American couple - and Tha Vin, the girl who works at the dumpling store I’ve been living at (not literally…). We were later joined by more Khmer locals and a few fellow travellers here and there.
It was a great night and it gave me some insight into local customs, formalities, expectations (mainly those put on young women here by the rest of the population) and the 4 foot locals’ lack of tolerance to alcohol!

And so today I am just winding down. After posting this I will return to my room and pack so that I can enjoy a last night in Siem Reap with Carlo, Richie and the crowd (without having to worry about returning tonight to pack), before getting an early night… (Uh huh…).

From what I have been hearing, Sihanoukville is more of an expat run town than a local run place. I get the feeling I’m heading towards the Goa of Cambodia. Somewhat differently, I am not going for the partying, picking up, pissing it up and passing out on the beach that a lot of the people I’ve chatted to seemed to have done while there (ok so maybe a little). Rather my interests lay in the National Parks in the area, and a possible trip to Kampot to see the abandoned casino and French town high up in the Bokor nat park.

I will be packing the laptop away after this, so may not be doing a blog update for a day or three, depending on WiFi access.

So goodbye for now!

***
Sunrise Spectacle

I took another walk through the suburbs a couple of mornings ago, heading out at 6am to capture a waking city.
It was a multifaceted experience, ranging from beautiful to outright depressing, quiet and yet chaotic.

I began by wandering down ‘Pub Street’ to see the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking by hundreds of tourists. It was not long after 6am and sunrise when I got there but already rubbish was piled into dozens of big black plastic bags and the roads and sidewalks swept clean.

The efficiency of the Cambodian people is nothing if not extremely tireless and dedicated. Prearranged tuk-tuk drivers waiting outside your guesthouse at 5am, wide eyed and ready to play tour guide; wait-staff seemingly able to intuit if you’re ready to order or just wanting to just sit and chat; locals always willing to practice their English and in turn give you astute and otherwise out-of-reach insights into the intricacies of common life here in Siem Reap.

Of course, there are a few things I’d love to be able to explain to the people here that are not so appealing…

Young ladies working in the markets eliciting a loud and nasally “You byyyyyyeeeee??” as you walk past, in tones reminiscent of their own language - so not all that surprising - yet still unbelievably annoying.

Tuk-tuk drivers calling out from well across the road and then clapping their hands to get your attention. There’s something about this (the clapping) that drives me crazy…

Being asked for a tuk-tuk after you’ve just declined five tuk-tuk invitations right in front of him.

But at least these things add character to an already very characterful (thanks for that great word Adam Hills!) place.

[Excuse me as I shoo two rooting flies off of my coffee cup...]

So, inner-city life is full of character and fun (that’s the beautiful part), whereas a long walk through the suburbs cannot help but to collapse one’s enthusiasm somewhat (the depressing part…).

I made my way south from Pub Street towards the bridges and into the ‘burbs. It’s an interesting walk here at 6:30am as you see the ‘other’ people of this expansive place; the ones not working the tuk-tuks, restaurants and money launder- err changing shops. Instead you see people in mechanic’s uniforms, bank teller outfits, private school uniforms, police and security detail.
You see the average Siem Reapian going about their every day existence, a life seemingly much removed from the spectacle just a kilometre or two to the north.

Coupled with these sights, however, are things that make you wonder what kind of bolt of awareness it’s going to take to help (make?) the Cambodians step out of their Third World/Developing status and into a new realm of… civility.

As I wandered along the river towards the south of town, a boy of barely four or five years ran across the grass to the river’s edge ahead of me. He saw me, smiled and waved, before taking off his tattered clothes, squatted and crapped at the edge of the water, and then trundled into the water to give himself a quick wash.
Somewhat taken back I took a higher path along the grass and headed across the road.

There I saw a father and son working on a moto while mother finished sweeping all the rubbish from the street into a big pile in the vacant block behind their shop. Regardless of what it was, it got swept up - rubber, plastic, leaves, sand, wood, excrement, nameless refuse - and promptly set to with a match. At first the smoke was very photogenic and I stood and shot for a short while… Before the pungent stench of rubber and plastic became too much to bear and I had to retreat.

Yet the family stood on amid the grey fumes as though unaffected.

One thing must be said about the streets, however. Come morning they are usually very clean; indeed there are teams of street sweepers all over the place each morning. Sadly though, they are never short of work. Countless times I watched people open something, consume something, read something and then seemingly obliviously dropping it on the ground.

They are probably thinking it’ll be cleaned up in good time, which it invariably will be, but I don’t think the fact that the plastic wrapper they dropped will get swept into a pile and set alight gives them pause.

As such, the thick ‘haze’ that sits over the city (so many people seem to refuse to call it pollution…) will not be going away any time soon. In fact, it will only be getting worse the more the country grows and is developed.

On a side note, it was not long after escaping the Smoke of Hell courtesy of the mother that I took a photo that, for reasons I cannot really pinpoint, is probably my favourite from this Siem Reap journey.
There’s something about it that seems to sum up the look and feel of the place; not just visually but also atmospherically. Perhaps there’s more going on in this shot on an analytical level that I am making myself aware of… or something…:

f8, 1/250, ISO 1600, 36mm for those who may be interested.

But this city is ever-growing, in a constant state of change and flux. Every corner you turn you’re greeted by another big building in mid-construction, another “Opening Soon” sign, another house being added to or knocked down.

Coupled with that is one ever-present, unspoken, usually unrealised factor that is both compelling and heartbreaking when one becomes aware of it.

The peoples of the place are all so young. Indeed, entire generations have been obliterated. Girls of what seems 14 years of age clean guest houses. Occasional boys who are clearly not yet 18 strut around in ‘Security’ uniforms. And when you do see an old woman, it’s often an unusual sight; they so often look so alone, with lines etched so deeply into their faces that they would hold stories so horrid and inhumane that you wonder how the harbouring of these secrets alone didn’t kill them.

When all is said and done, it is clear and evident that Cambodia is a country on the move. The people are compelling and motivated, extremely courteous, funny and willing to learn. This town is very charming in its own chaotic way and will attract people for years to come.

The speed with which change is occurring is both amazing and alarming and I look forward to returning over the years to see and record the progression.

As well as the fact I now have many lovely people - and a couple of very special ones in particular - I look forward to visiting with again soon.